Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about the Council’s response to safeguarding concerns she raised in 2023. This is because Miss X’s complaint is late and there are no good reasons she could not have brought it to us sooner.

The complaint

1. Miss X raised safeguarding concerns to the Council in 2023 about her children, who were living in the Council area under a Special Guardianship Order (SGO). In November 2025, she complained to the Council saying it had failed to act on the concerns she had raised at that time.
2. Miss X does not feel the Council fully considered her complaint as it did not accept it at Stage two of their complaint procedure.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by Miss X and the Council.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. Miss X complained to the Council in November 2025 about its failures to act on concerns she raised about her children in 2023, while they were living under an SGO.
7. In her complaint, Miss X says one of her children is subject to support from medical professionals for ongoing health concerns. Miss X says recent evidence suggests her child’s condition was left untreated for numerous years, including when she raised concerns to the Council in 2023.
8. In its complaint response, the Council outlined the steps it took following Miss X’s contact in 2023. It said it had made initial enquiries and that based on the information it received, decided not to take further action. It says it provided Miss X opportunity to share additional information she claimed she had at the time, but she did not do so.
9. The Council has offered to discuss matters concerning her child with Miss X following new evidence she provided in November 2025.
10. We will not investigate this complaint as it is late and there is no good reason to investigate now. Miss X was aware of our service in 2023 as she corresponded with us at that time. Therefore, it was reasonable for her to bring her complaint to us sooner.
11. We will also not investigate the Council’s complaints handling. It is not a good use of our resources to do so where we decide not to investigate the substantive matter.

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Final decision

12. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because it is late and there are no good reasons why she could not have brought it to us sooner.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman